Air heater for internal-combustion engines



smnasf Aug. 12 1924.

V. J. LUDWICK AIR HEATER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed March" 11, 1922 VENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 12, 1924.

UNITED STATES VERNE J. LUDWICK, 0F MALTA, MONTANA.

1 AIR HEATER FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed March 11, 1922. Serial No. 543,123.

T 0 all w hom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VERNE J. LUDwIoK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Malta, in the county of Phillips and State of Montana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air Heaters for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates tointernal combustion motors and has for one of its objects to provide an improved device whereby an auxiliary supply of air heated by radiation from the exhaust manifold is conducted to the intake manifold between the throttle valve and the cylinders of the motor, and means whereby the operation of the auxiliary supply means is actuated simultaneously with the throttle valve controlling means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may be adapted without material structural change to motors of varying forms and sizes.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the understanding however that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings:-

Figure 1 is a more or less diagrammatic view of a portion of an intake manifold with a carbureter associated therewith and arranged for the heating of the charges being fed to the cylinders of the engine.

Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly in section, of the structure of Fig. 1, shown on a larger scale and at right angles to the aspect of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional viewat right angles to the showing of Fig. 2. I

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4t of Fig. 2 and omitting certain parts.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown the outline of a carbureter 1 having a throttle valve chamber 2 from which rises a branch 3 merging into an'intake manifold 4 which may be of ordinary construction and there fore requires no specific description.

Connected to the throttle valve chamber 2 by a bracket 30 is a casing 4* conveniently made in the form of a rectangular casing and preferably constructed of sheet metal although not necessarily so.

For purposes of interior access and of assembly the casing 1 is furnished with a I cover member 5 which may be made to closethrough the casing P for an appropriate distance to receive a clamp nut 13 and this nut 13 is centrally threaded to receive a coupling 14, shown in the drawings as an elbow though not necessarily confined to such structure.

At the end of the valve rod 11 remote from the valve 10, is an enlarged extension 15 having stop flanges 16 and 17, respectively at opposite ends, and between the stop flanges the extension 15 is surrounded by a spring 18.

Extending through the casing 4 adjacent to the valve head 10 is a straight coupling 19 held in place by appropriate screw threads, and this coupling is continued through the walls of the valve casing 7*, see Fig. 4, the parts being held in position thereby.

Entering the casing 4P by way of a slot 22, is a lever 23, mounted on a pivot screw 24 sustained by a lug 25 fast to and rising from the bottom of the casing 45 At its upper end the lever 23 is formed with a perforation 24 surrounding the valve stem extension 15 and bearing against the stop flange 16.

Attached by any suitable means to the exhaust manifold, a part of which is indicated at 32, is a chamber 26 in position to receive a portion of the heat radiating from the exhaust manifold and connected by a conductor 33 to the coupling 19 leading into the valve casing 7 at the outlet side of the valve 10.

The carbureter 2 carries a rocker arm 28 in turn carrying the usual butterfly valve of the carbureter, indicated by dotted lines at 28 in Fig. l.

The rocker arm 28 is under the control of the usual accelerator rod 29, arranged to lead to a point on the instrument board, not shown, in the usual manner, as the lever 23 extends into the path of the couplings between the rod 29 on the rockerarm 28.

The accelerator rod 29 in conjunction with the spring 18 controls the lever 23 so that the; valves 10 and 28' are simultaneously actuated thus providing for the simultaneous entrance of the explosive compounds from the carbureter and the auxiliary heated air from the chamber 26.

lVith the several parts all properly adjusted and connected and the motor running, the explosive charges are drawn through the intake manifold 4c in the usual manner, while an auxiliary supply of heated air receiving its heat from the exhaust manifold, supplements the heat of the exhaust manifold for the explosive charge and thereby materially increases its efficiency and eifects a material saving of fuel.

The lever 23 is under the control of and directly responsive to the movement of the accelerator rod of the engine to move against theaction of the springs 18' on the valve 10, v

and acting in opposition to such springs, the valve 10 being closed or moved toward its closed position, and thus coacting with the throttle valve 28.

The lever 23 being actuated by the action of the accelerator rod 29, the spring 18 is compressed and the spring surrounding the rod 11 is also compressed, and returns the valve 10 to open position when the accelerating rod is released- 7 In order to secure the casing 4 to the parts of the engine to which the invention is applied, there is provided a bracket 30 secured in place by a bolt 31 or in any other appropriate manner.

By slight changes in non-essential parts of the structure, illustrated in the drawings, the invention is readily adapted to difiere'nt makes of engines so that by suitable manip- V ulation of theaccelerator rod 29 and the parts controlled thereby, the heating of the air fed to the intake manifold may be con trolled to increase the power of the engine at Will.

The whole structure is of very cheap and easily assembled manufacture and Without any difficulty may be adapted to various makes of automobile engines to greatly improve their working quality.

lVhat is claimed is 1. A device for admitting hotair to an intake manifold of an engine comprising, a closed casing, a tubular casing withinsaid closed casing having one end open and extended through one side all of the closed casing and further having means therein to provide a valve seat, a valve head on salt seat, a stem extending from said head through the rear of said tubular casing, a

spring positioned on said stem within said tubular casing and normally tending to open the valve, an opposing spring on and connected to said stem extcriorly of the tubular casing and normally tending to close the valve, means upon one side of said valve for conducting air into said tubular casing, means upon the other side of said valve for conducting hot air therefrom to said in take manifold, and a pivoted lever having one end traversed by said stem exterior-1y of said tubular casing and further interposed between the tubular casing and one end of said last mentioned spring and adapted to be actuated simultaneously with other actuating mechanism of the engine to open or close said valve to control the passage ofhot air therethrough to the intake manifold.

2. A device for admitting hot air to an intake manifold of an engine comprising, a closed. casing, a tubular casing within said closed casing having one end open and extended through one side wall of the closed casing and further having means therein to provide a valve seat, a valve head on said seat, a stem extending from said head through. the rear of said tubular casing, a spring positioned on said stem within said tubular cusing and normally tending to open the valve, an opposing spring on and connected to said stem exteriorly of the tubular casing and normally tending to close the valve, means upon one side of said valve for conducting air into said tubular casing, means upon the other side of said valve for conducting hot air therefrom to said intake manifold, and a pivoted lever having one end traversed by said stem exteriorly of said tubular casing and further interposed, between the tubular casing and one end of said last mentioned spring and adapted to be actuated simultaneously with other actuating mechanism of the engine to open or close said valve to control the passage of hot air therethrough to the intake manifold, said hot air conducting means comprising a lock nut carrying at one side a pipe connection for connection to a source of hot air and engaging at its other end the extended open end of said tubular casing and serving to lock the same to said closed casing.

3. A device for admitting hot air to the intake manifold of an engine comprising, a casing having a threaded aperture through one side wall and a slot through the bottom thereof, a tubular valve casing having one end open and peripherally threaded for insertion through said aperture, said tubular casing having a valve seat formed inwardly of said open end and further having a threaded aperture through its side rear- Wardly of said seat and a second aperture through the rear wall thereof, a valve head on said seat and opening toward said open end, a stem extending from said head rearwardly through the aperture in said rear wall, a spring surrounding said stem within the tubular casing and normally tending to force the head from the seat, an opposing spring upon said stem exteriorly of the tubular casing and engaging the stem at one end and further normally tending to close said valve, a pivoted lever having one end traversed by said stem exteriorly of said tubular casing and further opposing the inner end of said opposing spring and adapted to be actuated simultaneously with other actuating mechanism of the engine to open or close said valve, means for admitting hot air to the open end of said tubular casing, and means leading from the said aperture in the rear of said valve seat for conducting hot air to the intake manifold.

4. A device for admitting hot air to the intake manifold of an engine comprising, a

casing having a threaded aperture through one side wall and a slot through the bottom thereof, a tubular valve casing having one end open and peripherally threaded for insertion through said aperture, said tubular casing having a valve seat formed inwardly of said open end and further having a threaded aperture through its side rearwardly of said seat and a second aperture through the rear wall thereof, a valve head on said seat and opening toward said open end, a stem extending from said head rearwardly through the aperture in said rear wall, a spring surrounding said stem within the tubular casing and normally tending to force the head from the seat, an opposing spring upon said stem exteriorly of the tubular casing and engaging the stem at one end and further normally tending to close said valve, a pivoted lever having one end traversed by said stem exteriorly of said tubular casing and further opposing the inner end of said opposing spring and adapted to be actuated simultaneously with other actuating mechanism of the engine to open or close said valve, means for admitting hot air to the open end of said tubular casing, and means leading from the said aperture in the rear of said valve seat for conducting hot air to the intake manifold, said hot air conducting means comprising a lock nut having a reduced tubular extension connected to one end thereof for connection to a source of hot air supply and engaging at its other end the threaded open end of said valve casing to form a connection between the source of supply of hot air and further to lock said tubular casing in position.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature hereto.

VERNE J. LUDWIGK. 

